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The Red Sea Kitesurf World Cup 2014 is set to take place from May 28th to June 1st at the Palm Royal Resort in Soma Bay, Egypt. Prize money for this new freestyle event is $57,000. The commencement of the Red Sea Kitesurf World Cup, organized by ACT Agency GmbH, will also mark an historic moment as it will be the first PKRA World Cup in Egypt.

Registration: Online registration fee for this event is $110 and it is due by May-15-2014. Late registration or onsite registration will incurr a $25 late fee.

The transport from the airport in Hurghada to Palm Royale Resort and back is included in the price for the Special Riders Hotel Rate

Please make sure to make your accommodation reservations as soon as possible not later than the 15th of May.

Special Riders Rates (entire event stay)• 45 US Dollar per night per person (2 pax per room)• Special Rate includes full board (breakfast, lunch, dinner)• Additional person: 45 US Dollar per night per person (please be aware that only one additional person per rider is possible)For booking please contact….• Kim Schumacher• Schumacher@act-agency.com• +49 40 414641-57…and send her the following information:• Surname and last name• Female / male• Time frame in which the accommodation is needed• Flight infos (day and time of arrival in Hurghada, flight number and day and time of departure)

Water Conditions:- Flat water conditions- Sandy ground- Water temperatures will be expected by 25-26 Celsius

Wind Conditions:- During the event period we expect an average wind force around 16 – 18 knots,- At the event site the wind is mostly side-shore from NNW

CAIRO, Egypt – In an effort to revitalise the tourism sector, Giza Governor Ali Abdel Rahman announced on Sunday the details of the “largest” tourism service project in the governorate at a cost of EGP 7.5m, according to a statement from the governorate.

Ministry of Tourism will fund the project which will be implemented by Ministry of Antiquities, Abdel Rahman said. Situated near Haram Street, the project will include 280 bazaars, commercial shops, touristic restaurants and cafes with the aim of serving tourists.

According to Abdel Rahman, the tender to implement the project will be issued on a usufruct basis for the developers within a month. The announcement followed a Sunday visit by the governor to the project site, which he said would attract tourists due to proximity to the Giza Pyramids.

A total of EGP 21m has been allocated by the governorate to develop roads in the area of Haram Street, with Abdel Rahman pointed out that the governorate has spent EGP 25m on this over the past two years.

The tourism sector struggled in 2013 after many European and foreign governments warned travel agencies in August to stop selling holiday packages to Egypt amid rising fears of violence after the dispersal of a sit-in held by supporters of former president Mohamed Morsi.

The Ministry of Finance recently announced that tourism revenues in the first half of fiscal year (FY) 2013/2014 are down 66% year on year, registering $1.9bn. Minister of Tourism Hisham Zaazou announced last week an increase in visa fees for tourists visiting the country from $15 to $25. In a positive outlook, however, Zaazou said he expected the number of tourists to increase by 3 million in 2014 to 12.5 million, up from 9.5 million in 2013, generating $11bn in revenues.

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Exact facsimile of the tomb of Tutankhamen installed in Luxor - official opening on 30th April 2014

The exact facsimile of the tomb ofTutankhamun has been installed underground in a building next to Carters house, at the entrance to the valley of the kings and is due to be officially opened on 30th April 2014.

The facsimile , made by Factum Arte, Madrid is the most accurate large -scale facsimile to be made to date .This is the culmination of many years work and is an important milestone in the approach to responsible heritage management and the use of advanced technology in the promotion of sustainable tourism . it has been made with the full support of Mr.Hisham Zaazou the Egyptian Minister of tourism , the minister of state for Antiquities and with the backing of the European Union . The facsimile is a gift to the people of Egypt from Factum Foundation . Its housed in an underground building designed by the tarek waly center : Heritage and Architecture , Cairo .The Public opening will be 1st may 2014

The work has involved the development of advanced 3D technologies for recording the tombs and perfecting the method to replicate them. Its the first stage of a larger project that involves the creation of Facsimiles of the tombs of Seti I and Nefertari – both currently closed to the general public .

The Need for a facsimile :

The Tomb of Tutankhamun was hidden for over 3000 years , but since its discovery in 1922 it has rapidly deteriorated – not due to neglect but rather because it was not built to accommodate the vast numbers of people who visit each day ; in 2011it was announced by the Supreme council of Antiquities that the original tomb must be closed for conservation reasons .The original tomb is currently open giving visitors a unique opportunity to visit both of it and the facsimile and compare the experience. the facsimile is part of an initiative to safeguard the tombs of the Theeban Necropolis that are either closed to the public for for conservation reasons or are in need of closure to preserve them for future generations.

The facsimile of the Tomb of Tutankhamun will give visitors an opportunity to understand history of the tomb since its discovery, encourage conservation of the original site and establish Egypts Ministry of Antiquities as a world leader supporting the use of high – resolution documentation to monitor the condition of the Tombs.

The Gift and Installation of the facsimile has very specific objects:

1. To promote a positive and Sustainable approach to tourism – and to encourage an awareness that sustainable tourism can be a positive force in the conservation of Egypt s cultural heritage.

2. To facilitate the transfer of technology and skills to set up workshops on Luxors west bank to carry out the recording and production of facsimiles of tombs of Seti I and Queen Nefertari to create long term skilled jobs in Luxor .

Egypt will increase tourist visa fees from $15 to $25 starting on May 1, 2014.

According toHesham Zazou, tourism minister, the increase is slight and is not expected to affect the flow of tourists to the country.

The decision to increase the cost of a tourist visa to Egypt was previously postponed several times. The decision was initially meant to be implemented in November 2013. It was then postponed to February 2014, and finally to 1 May.

According to the tourism ministry, Egypt’s visa is still amongst the cheapest worldwide.

The number of tourists visiting Egypt in the first two months of 2014 dropped 28 percent to 1.3 million in comparison to January and February 2013.

As the security situation in South Sinai has deteriorated under a growing militant insurgency, Germany issued a warning against travel to the peninsula.

Egypt’s revenues from tourism, a key source of foreign currency, dropped drastically after the 2011 revolution amid subsequent political instability and violence.

The preparation for founding the Umm Kulthum Museum began in 1998, and the museum was open to the public in Dec.2001. Umm Kulthum’s role as a pop singer, cultural icon in both the Egyptian community and the Arabic world contributed enormously to the creative phase of Egyptian modern history.
Therefore, it is important to preserve this legendary tradition through collecting Umm Kuhlthum’s music, personal belongings, and related artifacts and to house them in a well established archive center.
In this process, CDF is proud to take the leadership role in supervising and funding the museum. Moreover, in order to enrich the museum collection, CDF is also responsible for collecting lesser -known personal traits and artifacts through countless direct contacts with Umm Kulthum’s family members, hoping to provide with the public a more comprehensive view of Egyptian music during the 20th century.
Located on the Roda island, the Museum, a destination to display and store Umm Kulthum’s items, shares the 250m2 building attached to the Minsterley Palace. Another reason for choosing this location is that it contains the Nile-meter, the second oldest Islamic monument in Cairo and that it is adjacent to the 161 year-old Minsterley Palace (1000m2). The significant importance of this historical area reinforces Umm Kulthum’s
cultural status in Egypt.

The Umm Kulthum Museum
consists of four halls:
The Main Hall:
It displays the collection of her dresses, awards and pendants, five collages of her photos, as well as correspondences and letters.

The Cinema Hall:
It displays a documentary movie commissioned for the opening of
the museum about Umm Kulthum, and the hall seats a maximum of 30 people

The Multimedia Hall:
It consists of a digital archival system with bilingual notes (Arabic and English?) about her life, a complete list of her songs in audio and video formats, as well as a collection of her photos. In addition, there is a collection of archive of newspaper clippings about her from 19242000- and the most important written biography about her.

The Panorama Hall:
It features a 10-minute documentary photos in an artistic way accompanied by well-known
Egyptian composer “Ragh Daood.” Since Sep. 2011, and there is a monthly Saloon held in the museum, beside a bunch of music outreach programs to reach various audience; especially students. In addition, the museum is adapting a new topic in reaching out to the
world by presenting Umm Kulthum Open Daily from 9 am – 4 pm (except for National Days)
Tickets: Ordinary LE 2
Students LE 1
Foreigners LE 6
1 El-Malek El-Saleh street, Manyal, Telfax: 23631467http://www.facebook.com/museum.ummkulthum – cdf@cdf-eg.org

Cairo: Unfazed by political unrest in Egypt, India will launch the second edition of a mega cultural extravaganza, including a Bollywood musical, to showcase vibrant bilateral ties and make the relationship more dynamic.

“I think a festival like this gets a lot of visibility and demonstrates that India has taken a major initiative here. That generates goodwill, both at the official level and amongst the public,” India’s Ambassador to Egypt Navdeep Suri told PTI ahead of the “India by the Nile” festival this week.

The festival, running from April 1-20, will have a grand opening with Bollywood Love Story- A Musical at the Opera House from the April 3 to 6, and will see more than 35 Indian dancers performing to the much-loved music of Indian cinema.

The musical will also travel to three major Egyptian cities namely Alexandria, Hurghada and Luxor. The festival is being held for the second consecutive year in Egypt.

Suri said events like these make the relationship between one of the leading emerging economies, India, and the largest country in the Middle East, Egypt, more “dynamic and vibrant”.

Asked about the timing of the festival with political unrest in Egypt, Suri said, “We are aware, of course, about the various incidents of violence but as residents of Egypt, we also see the extent to which daily life continues normally.”

“We have always enjoyed close ties with Egypt and there is a genuine fondness for Indian culture amongst the Egyptian people. But we can’t get complacent and take things for granted. The festival is part of the embassy’s pro-active approach to reach out to the Egyptian public and to promote cultural understanding,” he said.

Suri said Bollywood was quite popular in Egypt and for this reason a number of Bollywood-themed events were planned in the festival, including the big Bollywood-style musical and the participation of Shabana Azmi and Javed Akhtar.

“We are keen to convey a more composite picture of Indian culture, to tell our Egyptian friends that there is more to India than Bollywood. And so we have Kathak dance, Rajasthani foil music, conversations among writers, cuisine and much more,” he said.

The Ambassador stressed that India stands to gain from engaging with Egypt by helping it build institutions of democracy and investing in the economic sector.

“We have a number of economic cooperation projects in the pipeline and work continuously to enhance trade and investment flows,” he said.

The Luxor African Film Festival begins on Tuesday with a screening of Guinea-Bissau’s The Children’s Republic, starring Danny Glover

The third Luxor African Film Festival will begin on Tuesday.

The festival will open with a screening of Flora Gomes’s The Children’s Republic, a joint production between Portugal and Guinea-Bissau, about a small, fictional country in Africa where children rule after every adult abandons the place. The country prospers, but the children can no longer grow.

The film’s director, as well as its star, Danny Glover, will be present at the opening ceremony in Luxor’s famous temple. He will be receiving an honourary award for his long and fruitful career in film.

In the Long Narratives competition, Egypt is taking part with The Mice Room, while in the Short Narratives and Short Documentaries competition, Egypt’s contenders are El-Bostan El-Said Street, Sidhom and Erkie. In the Freedom Films competition, Egypt’s entry is Logical Revolt, while I Am the Film Director, another Egyptian film, will be screened in the out-of-competition selection.

Forty-one African countries are participating in the festival with more than 55 films, in addition to nine non-African countries taking part in the Freedom Films competition.

Under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism This is a historic event taking place from the 14th to 26th of March 2014.

Who is the Prince?

The Prince Kamal El Din Hussain (son of Sultan Hussain) who was heading out into the deep desert with Citroen Kegresse Autochinelles in the years 1923 – 1926. Massive camel caravans of up to 500 animals were carrying his fuel supply as the logistical backbone of his ventures. He was the one who found and named the Gilf Kebir Plateau.A memorial plaque was laid down by Count Lazlo Almasy – better known as – The English Patient. This plaque was placed in honor of the Prince at the southern tip of the Gilf Kebir Plateau in 1933 after his death. The Hollywood film “The English Patient”, won nine Oscars in 1996. The Prince was the first to introduce the automobile into deep desert explorations.After 1 year of the construction of the memorial Almasy returned with tourists to revisit the site. That expedition was sponsored by the Royal Automobile Club of Egypt which was represented by Prince Muhammed Abdel Moneim and by the Ahram Newspaper represented by Hassan Sobhi.

The preliminary agenda for passengers

13 March 2014 – Arriving Cairo
Overseas participants arrive in Cairo. We will assist with hotel bookings and we will be delighted to assist and organize transfers to the hotels (only hotels listed as participating in Kamal Expedition).

14 March 2014 – Opening ceremony – Flight – Drive heading to Gilf Kebir
We will have a transfer organized from the hotels of our choice to the Kamal Expedition Opening Ceremony which will be held at the Automobile & Touring Club of Egypt in Cairo. You also have the choice of joining us independently at the Club if you wish. After a brunch and the ceremony we will be heading to the Cairo International Airport to catch a charter flight to Dakhla Oasis.
At the airport of Dakhla the packed 4×4 cars will be waiting for us and will bring us to have lunch. Meanwhile the last formalities will be finished with the government to have
a fast start to the desert after lunch. Divided into several groups, the participants will be leaving the Oasis heading south on the Asphalt Road. Leaving the road, our first visit will be the Balise of Saviem Trucks which traversed the entire Sahara from West to East in 1977 (from the Atlantic ocean to the Nile). In the area of G-Hills we will be looking for a camping place. In the evening we will have the chance to listen to an interesting lecture on a chosen topic related to the desert by one of our top speakers.

15 March 2014 – Wadi Eight Bells
After breakfast, we will be continuing in groups crossing different desert landscapes to approach the Gilf El Kebir plateau. We will find some relics from the Second World War: broken down Cars which were used by the British Special Forces, the Long Range Desert Group. We will also cross some dunes to reach the landing ground of 8 Bells where we will set up camps nearby. Like every night we will have the chance to listen to an interesting lecture on the desert by one of our top speakers.

16 March 2014 – Gilf Kebir - Wadi Wassa – Kamal El DIn Monument
We will be traveling through the Wadi Eight Bells to reach the Wadi Wassa and the Rock paintings of the Mararet el Qantara which was found in 1935 by a British explorer group under the leadership of Shaw. From here we will be heading south to the southern tip of the Gilf el Kebir Plateau where Almasy erected the Kamal El Din Monument 81 years ago. Nearby, we will find a set up prepared for the group. It will be on that occasion were all the groups will be gathered together and we would have a longer entertaining program for you that evening including the screening of a documentary film. If you do not feel like attending the screening, you could enjoy the calm evening weather some hundred metres away.

17 March 2014 – Camil Crater
After a late evening, the starting of the groups will be delayed. They will be heading to the south to reach the meteorite crater of Gebel Kamil, where they will be camping nearby. The evening will once again be filled with an interesting topic of one of the speakers.

18 March 2014 – Gebel Uweinat - Karkur Talh
The groups will be heading towards Gebel Uweinat to arrive there after a few kilometers looking for camping places in the Karkur Talh area and will be exploring the different sites of the Gebel Uweinat. In the evening there will be a chance of attending another interesting lecture.

19 March 2014 – Rock cave near Peter & Paul
There will be a chance to have a short hike in the mountain in the morning before heading back north to reach some interesting rock art caves near the mountain of Peter & Paul. In the evening another interesting lecture will be organized.

20 March 2014 – Gilf Kebir – Wadi Sura
We will be reaching the area of Wadi Sura (the Cave of Swimmers) which became famous through the 1997 film The English Patient. We will be visiting the Clayton Cave and the Chinati Camp site exploring some rock paintings nearby. Before that, we will have a second gathering in front of the Cave of the Beast. Here all the groups will unite for a second time to watch a short film about the life of the late Egyptian Father of Environment, Prof. Mohammed el Kassas, who died on that day (March 21st) one year ago in Cairo. Through different presentations and a film we will have a second longer night in that area.

21 March 2014 – Gilf Kebir Aqaba Pass
The groups will split up again to move over the Three Castles to the Aqaba Pass to drive on top of the Gilf Kebir Plateau and to cross some dunes which are on top of the plateau. Here we will be looking for different camping areas and have the chance to another interesting lecture.

22 March 2014 – Gilf Kebir – Wadi Hamra
We will reach the higher level of the Plateau and have a nice view at Belle Vue
onto the southern plane. Driving along the edge of the plateau we will reach a passage which will get us to the southern tip of Wadi Hamra. Here, we will be visiting different engraving sites and have a special look at the different Fauna of the Gilf el Kebir area. We will be camping at the northern exit of the Wadi Hamra where each group will get a chance to listen to an interesting lecture.

23 March and 24 March 2014 - Crossing Great Sand Sea
These 2 days we will be crossing the dunes of the Great Sand Sea having exciting passages crossing the dunes from west to east.

25 March 2014 – White Desert
We will be back near the Wadi Obaid and we will be entering the National Park of the White desert. Here a buffet will be waiting for all the participants. The groups will be spread in the National Park and a last evening with lectures will end our evenings in the desert.

26 March 2014 – Cairo – Closing Ceremony in Mena Hous
We will be leaving the White Desert National Park heading back to the road in a northerly direction reaching Baharya Oasis where a lunch will be prepared for everyone. After lunch, a 300 kilometre drive to Gizeh will bring us to the Mena House Hotel at the foot of the Pyramids. After a welcome coffee and cakes, the closing ceremony will be held in the hotel and will include a dinner. The anniversary of the Prince Kamal el Din monument will come to the end of its journey.

A painstakingly accurate replica of King Tut’s tomb is set to open in Egypt – Luxor

Its existence will present visitors with the moral dilemma of paying to see the original tomb or helping to preserve its future existence by visiting the facsimile version instead.

The Supreme Council of Antiquities commissioned carefully-crafted replicas of the tombs of Seti I, Nefertari and Tutankhamun back in 2009.

The move was a bid to stave off further irreparable damage caused by decades of tourists flocking to see the boy king’s burial chamber and other ancient tombs.

Changes in temperature and humidity, say experts, is causing the intricately painted plaster to crumble away from the walls. Visitors could soon be completely banned from entering them

A Madrid-based company, Factum Arte, which has worked with museums all over the world to produce facsimiles of endangered art, used high-tech 3D scanners to create the replica of King Tut’s tomb in a process that has taken several years to complete.

November will see the new version of the tomb of Tutankhamun installed just outside Howard Carter’s house, around half a mile from where the original lays in Luxor‘s Valley of the Kings.

The fascination with Carter’s story and the perpetual promise of more discoveries has seen tourists pouring into the sun-drenched site although there has been a significant dip in tourism this year as the country has suffered from ongoing political protests.

One of the Factum Arte team, Briton Adam Lowe, is hopeful that the replica will become as popular as the orginal as visitors ‘become part of the force that protects it [the original] rather than a force that is leading to its destruction.’

He told the BBC: ‘They will have the thrill of visiting something they know is 3,000 years old and they have the guilt of knowing, as they look at it, that their presence is part of the reason why it won’t be there in another 100 years’ time.’

Under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism and the Egyptian Tourist Authority, The Cultural Center of Arab Heritage in France will organize a big celebration in Sharm El sheikh on May 13th under the title " Egypt in the heart of Africa " with the participation of the global singer Natacha Atlas and the French band “ C Masala” This festival is […]